"No apologies were offered. That sort of typifies Maxim Van Gils" - Amaury Capiot considered legal action after Tour crash that continues to trouble him

The second Tour de France of Amaury Capiot's career ended in severe disappointment earlier this year. After a nasty crash in the finale of stage 13, the Belgian was forced to abandon a day later.

Now, just over five months later, the 31-year-old of the Arkéa - B&B Hotels team continues to feel the effects of the crash, giving Capiot much cause for concern ahead of a 2025 season that sees him enter his contract year at the French team.

"I'm still recovering from that crash," says Capiot in quotes collected by Sporza from an Arkéa - B&B Hotels training camp in Calpe. "My sacrum was broken in three places. That's healing well, but when I do squats, I still have some pain. After a few hours (on the bike ed.), my right hamstring starts to act up. But with strengthening exercises and massage, that should be fine."

So serious was the crash, Capiot and the Arkéa - B&B Hotels even considered legal action against the crash's perpetrator, Maxim van Gils, then of Lotto Dstny. "We thought about it together with the team. Because what if I continue to suffer in the coming years as a result of that fall and therefore perform less well?" Capiot explains. "That is something you do not know immediately after the fall, but you do know in six months. But let's assume that everything will be fine."

Although crashes are a part of the dangers of being a pro cyclist, Capiot was left incredibly disappointed by the reaction of Van Gils in the days and weeks afterwards, claiming he never received an apology from his compatriot. "The first two days after the crash we sent messages. But not much was said in them," he recalls. "No apologies were offered. That kind of typifies the person Maxim Van Gils as I know him."